


dear theodosia

by lifeisadoozy



Series: dousy song fics [22]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Daniel's POV, F/M, Fluff, Introspection, Song fic, thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28525602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeisadoozy/pseuds/lifeisadoozy
Summary: Daniel's afraid of being a father. But when he held his babies, he knows that he's going to be okay.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie & Daniel Sousa, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: dousy song fics [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048267
Comments: 39
Kudos: 40





	dear theodosia

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! @Fishstick730 recommended this song for a fic and man I've grown to love the song. I hope that the fic is good enough. And I hope that you guys will enjoy reading it. The song is "Dear Theodosia" by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. And it's in Daniel's POV.

The greatest thing a parent could experience, is watching their children grow up. And the greatest thing a child would ever ask for, is to be loved by their parents. Daniel wasn’t so lucky in the parent department. Granted, it was a much better situation than Daisy’s. At least he had one parent who stayed. 

His mother would do her best to provide for him. She would cook, bake, clean, work, everything. She’s his mother, but also his father in a way. See, his father left them when he was barely a toddler. He walked out, wasn’t around. So, he had seen his mother go through life alone. 

Not that she didn’t try to date, but being a single mother, she was at a disadvantage. He knew his mother tried her best. And she was there for him. He saw how much she went through and that’s why his respect for women had always been high. That’s why he was confused as to why people weren’t respecting Peggy Carter the way she should be respected. That’s why when he joined a ragtag group of people from the future, he respects the women so much. And he vowed ever since he was young, to always cherish and appreciate the women in his life. To never take them for granted. 

And now, it had been a month since Daisy gave birth to the two joys of his life. When he found out that Daisy’s pregnant, he was ecstatic, of course. But then the doubts kicked in. _How could he be a good father if he doesn’t know what being a good father looks like?_ Daisy had her breakdowns too. He would find her sitting in their living room in the dark staring at the empty TV screen. 

“Dais?” He called out. She didn’t hear him. “Sweetheart?” He said louder. 

“Daniel? Hey. Why aren’t you asleep?” She snapped her gaze to him. 

He looked back at her, concerned. “Me? Why aren’t _you_ asleep?” He asked incredulously. 

“I couldn’t. I kept thinking.”

“Thinking about what, sweetheart?” He spoke softly.

“Everything.” She turned her gaze back to the black screen. “What if I’m not a good mother? What if I mess up our kid’s life? And-and they’d hate me. I mean—we’re field agents. What if something happened out there? What kind of mother would I be if I keep going on missions and endanger both our lives? What if—” 

“Hey. Hey. Look at me, Dais.” He held her hand as her eyes found his. “You—are going to be a _great_ mother. You know why?” She shook her head. “Because you’re a great wife. A great sister. A great mentor. A great teacher. A great daughter. And because you know what it’s like to yearn for your parents’ love. And no, it wasn’t a good thing. But it means that you know, that what any and all children wants from their parents is to be loved. And you—sweetheart—you have the biggest heart and you love so fiercely. I would know. And I also know that you’re going to love this baby so much. And it’s us. It’s us against the world. We’ll do this together. And with the missions? Honey, if you want to keep being field agents, you can. But I’ve been thinking of cutting back. Of doing desk duty or work in the Academy instead.” She sighed in relief and he smiled at her. “And I _promise_ you. I’ll be here for you. Throughout it all. That’s what I’m here for. To pick you back up. Remember?” 

“Technically, you don’t remember that speech.” She teased. “But yeah. Thank you. For being the best husband a girl could ask for. And for being so perfectly you.” 

“I’m not perfect.” He retorted. 

“Hmm. You are perfect to me. And for me.” 

“Well lucky me, hmm?” 

“Oh yeah. You’re very lucky, I mean who wouldn’t want to be with me?” She joked. 

“Yeah. Yeah. _Quake_ is pretty cool.” His playful glint then turned into something so soft and earnestly good. “You know what else is pretty cool?” She raised her eyebrows in question. “Daisy Johnson is pretty cool, don’t you think?” 

She laughed. “Dork.” But she wouldn’t want it any other way. 

They both went back to bed, and as Daisy slept soundly, Daniel couldn’t get those _what ifs_ out of his mind. _What if he’s not a good father? What if he couldn’t give his kid what they need? What if his old-fashioned way would ruin his kid’s life?_ All these thoughts swirling around his head wouldn’t leave. And it expanded when they found out that they’re having twins. 

He came into the Lighthouse the day after they had the ultrasound which showed his twin babies. Mack was there. 

“Agent Sousa. How’s it going?” He smiled warmly. 

“Hmm? Oh. Mack. Hi.” Daniel said distracted. 

“Daniel. What’s going on? Is Daisy okay? Is the baby okay?” Mack’s concerned. Daniel had never been anything but focused. That’s why he made for a good agent and strategist. But something happened. 

“What? Yeah. No, Daisy’s okay. And the babies are fine.” His eyes were darting from one corner to the next. 

“Good. Good. That’s good that the babies—” He paused. “Wait. Did you-did you just say babies?” 

“Hmm? Oh! Yeah. Turns out we’re having twins.” He exclaimed while smiling nervously. 

“Hey. Daniel. You’re gonna be fine, you know that, right?” 

Daniel’s thankful for Mack’s skill on observing people. It means he can read people so well that Daniel didn’t have to spell it out to him. “I know. But I can’t help being afraid.” 

“What are you afraid of?” 

“If I’m good enough to be these kids’ father. I mean. One kid is one thing. But two? What if I ruin their lives forever?”

“Whoa there Danny-boy. I expected those kinds of thoughts from Daisy. But you? Come on, man. You _know_ you’re good enough.” 

“But I don’t know what it means to be a father. I mean. I don’t have a father to look up to. Who’s to say that I won’t be just like mine? Someone who just leaves?” 

“Daniel. Sousa. You know that you’ve stayed, right? You could’ve left us in the ‘70s or in the ‘80s. Heck, I’m sure Fitzsimmons could’ve figured out a way to send you back to the ‘50s if you’d like to. But you had never once entertained that idea. And you stayed. You promised me once, that you would never hurt Daisy. And you kept that promise. So, promise me one more thing.”

Daniel’s so glad that he has a friend in Mack. To knock some sense into himself. “Okay.”

“Promise me – that whatever doubts you have, you wouldn’t let it consume you. Promise me, that you will learn from your father’s mistakes. Because I know you. I know that you would do your best for your kids. And I know that you always own up to your mistakes and you would always learn from the past. Quite literally.” He placed his hand onto Daniel’s shoulders with a firm grip. 

Daniel smiled gratefully. “I promise.” 

“Hmm.” Mack nodded, before turning to leave. 

“Mack?” 

“Yeap?”

“Thank you.” Daniel said sincerely. 

So now, he looked around and saw his wife asleep on their bed, and his two kids in their bassinets, he stood up, walked to his son and daughter. He took the both of them out of their bassinets and cradled each baby on each arm. 

He remembered watching _Hamilton_ with Daisy for their anniversary one night. There’s this song. _Dear Theodosia_. Those lyrics made his voice caught in his throat. About how true it is. To him. To them. And so, he started singing it to his babies. 

_ Dear Annie-May, what to say to you? _

_ You have my eyes; you have your mother’s name. _

Their baby girl’s name is Anne. Anne May Johnson. She has her father’s eyes, with her mother’s last name. Because Daniel wanted to share a name with Daisy. And she had fought so hard to find hers. And Sousa, his father’s name, it didn’t hold much meaning to him anymore. 

_ When you came into the world, you cried. _

_ And it broke my heart. _

When she came out, she didn’t let out a cry the way her 15-minutes-older brother did. They were worried that she wouldn’t make it. And when she did cry, so did Daniel and Daisy. Thankful that she’s a fighter. Just like the names she’s named after. _Anne_. Jemma had become a fighter in her SHIELD days. And Daniel saw that first-hand too. _May_. May is an amazing fighter. She’s a skilled fighter, but she also fought plenty of demons. He knows that. And lastly, _Johnson_. Daisy is the strongest person he knew, joint first with his mother. He knew she’s a fighter even before she sneaked a piece of glass under her skin in that barn. 

_ I’m dedicating every day to you. _

_ Domestic life was never quite my style. _

He will be. He will dedicate every single day of his life to make sure that Anne has the best childhood and be the best person she can be. He promised to stay. And he will stay forever. He couldn’t understand how his father had just left. Because holding these two sweet babies, he didn’t want to be anywhere else. Also, he had always been married to his work. Before he met Daisy. So, yeah. Domestic life. He had never pictured it to be this peaceful and amazing. He’s glad he’s here with Daisy and their kids. 

_ When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart. _

_ And I thought I was so smart. _

When she starts smiling sometime in the future, he knows that his heart will double in size. 

_ You will come of age with our young nation. _

_ We’ll bleed and fight for you. _

_ We’ll make it right for you. _

They will. Daniel and Daisy would always make sure that their kids’ future is bright. That everything that’s wrong right now, they would want to change it so that their children could grow up in a good world. In a world that would let them thrive. Be it defeating supervillains, or the negative realm of society.

_ If we lay a strong enough foundation. _

_ We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you. _

_ And you’ll blow us all away someday. _

And if the fight’s not over by the time the kids take over, Daniel could only hope that he had laid a good enough foundation so that their kids don’t have to start from scratch. Daniel and Daisy would pass the world, the future onto them. And he knew that these kids, they will make the world a better place.

_ Oh Philip, when you smile, I am undone. _

_ My son. Look at my son. _

And his baby boy. Phillip Alfie Johnson. Named after two directors of SHIELD. For him, Daniel would do anything. For the both of them, Daniel would move mountains. Even though Daniel knew that Daisy could do so, he would personally use his own two hands. He has a _son_. And he could only hope that he’d be a good father. A better father than his. 

_ Pride is not the word I’m looking for. _

_ There is so much more inside me now. _

Because he knows that his baby boy would make him proud and happy and everything in between. His heart swells at the sight of his two babies. He hoped that he would raise them right. That _he’s_ the one who would make them proud to call him their _father_. 

_ Oh Philip, you outshine the morning sun. _

_ My son. _

His son came out belting. And it was loud, and bright, and beautiful. He would never forget the very first time he held onto him. This tiny little crinkly being, looking up to him. And feeling safe in his arms. He would never forget the way Daisy lit up when she looked at her two boys together. 

_ My father wasn’t around. _

_ I swear that I’ll be around for you. _

He vowed that he’ll stay. He promised Daisy he’ll stay. And now, he promised Phillip and Anne that he’ll stay. That he’ll watch his children grow up. And then he’ll grow old and grey with the love of his life. 

_ I’ll do whatever it takes. _

_ I’ll make a million mistakes. _

Mack was right. Daniel’s the kind of person who would learn from his mistakes. He’ll apologize and he’ll do better. That’s the kind of father he wants to be. And all he could do, is hope that his kids would be able to see that. That he’ll try. He’ll try for them. 

_ I’ll make the world safe and sound for you.  _

Daisy. She sang that line. She’s awake. Then, they continued to sing the last chorus. Harmonizing with each other. 

_ Yeah, you’ll blow us all away. _

_ Someday, someday. _

Because they will. 

“Hey. That was beautiful, Daniel. You’re going to be a great father.” She smiled at him fondly. 

He smiled right back at her, with so much admiration and adoration. “You’re going to be a great mother too. You already are.” 

“We’re gonna be okay, Dan.” She stated. 

“Yeah. We are.” 

The two of them gazed at the little bundles of joy in Daniel’s arms. This is their biggest and most challenging mission yet. Parenting. And they hope that Anne and Phillip know how much their parents love them. 

The greatest joy a parent could hope for, is to watch their children grow up. Grow up to be the best they can be. Daisy and Daniel would be there, guiding them every step of the way. And once they’re ready to start their own journey, Daisy and Daniel could only hope that the world would be ready for them. Because it’ll be one hell of a ride. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
